Wednesday, 23 July 2014

SVPassatII - Postcard From Portland, UK

Happy Canada Day!

Our Canada Day was an exercise in futility.

This was supposed to be the day we traveled from Portland to Poole. We
awoke to a brisk breeze (10 kts building to 15, with gusts to 20 as the
day progressed), but it was on the nose. The current on the East side
of the Bay was favorable so we tacked back and forth, along the coast,
for most of the morning.

At mid day it was obvious that we would not make St Alban's Head before the turn of the tide at about 2 pm.
This headland has a wicked current and races that extend out for 5
miles, so getting there at the right time is critical. So we started
the Iron Genny and motor sailed along the coast. As we reached Lulworth
Cove we were approached by a "Range Safety" boat. They advised that
the firing range just ahead was active. We had to turn and go 3.5 miles
off the shore to avoid "friendly fire". We opted to anchor at Lulworth
Cove. The cove is tiny and has a narrow entrance. As we came close we
noted one boat already at anchor and the wind against current 4 ft seas
would be on the beam as we entered. That and the cruising guide notice
that the anchorage was unsuitable if the winds shifted south convinced
us to move on.

We motor sailed out the 3.5 miles and set a course to round St Alban's
Head. We were now going straight into the wind and steep 4 to 6 ft
seas. Progress eventually slowed to less then 1 kt. Did the math, no
way to make the turn of the current. Headed back to Portland. What
took us 8 hours outbound, took 2 hours inbound, as we surfed our way downwind at 7 to 8 kts.

SVPassatII - Postcard - Poole, UK

We had a great passage from Portland to Poole, with speeds up to 9 knots in favorable current.

Anchored off Brownsea Island. Had a great walk around the Island.
Reminded us of Sidney Island, with the remains of a tiny village and
Pottery Factory (rather then the brick factory on Sidney). As at Sidney
Island the main surviving structure is the dock.

In addition, Brownsea Island has a castle, a church and a surviving
village. To top it off, it is the site of the first Scout camp, which
was one of the reasons we stopped here. There is a monument at the site
and a modern Scout camping area nearby.

SVPassatII - Postcard From Yarmouth, UK

We had SW winds and an easterly current. We flew along the rhum line
averaging over 8 kts from the entrance of Poole Harbour to the Needles
Channel, off the Isle of White.

Now the Needles Channel is an "interesting" piece of water. Narrow (1/2
to 1 nm wide), with the "Shingles" shallows on port creating "Breakers"
and the rocks of the "Needles" to starboard. With the turn into the
channel we were down wind, the wind dropped as we entered the lee of the
Isle. We shared this space with no less then a dozen sailboats, one
freighter, several power boats and two fishing charter boats camped at
the choke point. All the sail boats were jibing there way back and
forth. We barely maintained steerage through the water, but the current
carried us forward at 5 to 6 kts. We reduced sail to just the main to
make it easier to manage the constant jibing. No reduction in speed.
In fact we were keeping pace with some 65 footers, with full crew,
racing alongside us. I guess our full keel was doing all the work, with
the current acting as our propellant.

The skies were blue the sun was warm. Other then the freighter
squeezing us closer to "Warden Ledge" race than we would have liked it
was the most fun on the water I have had in a long time. Not so much
for Sandra. She expressed a decided preference to the boredom of an off
shore passage.

We picked up an outer mooring buoy in Yarmouth and treated ourselves to a great late pub lunch curried pork.

SVPassatII - Postcard From Portsmouth, UK

Sounds like a code out of a Bond movie, but it is a British marine weather report.

This one means: Portland Area. There is a low off Iceland moving SE at
less then 15 kts; Winds/Seas Beaufort Scale 7 going to 8 within 12
hours (Near Gale to Gale within 12 hours)wind 28 going to 40 Seas 4
going to 8 ft from SW; Visibility 2 to 5 miles; Air pressure 998 and falling at 3.6 to 6 hPa/hr; Barometer indicates "Change".

It took us a long time to understand, even with the help of our Cruising
guides and the notes provided on the back of our Imray Charts. It is
like learning a new language.

Speaking of language. Apparently it is us who have an accent and unusual idioms. What's with that, eh?

We had a great sail from Yarmouth to Portsmouth, downwind in 10 to 15 kts of wind and with 2
to 3 kts of favorable current. We put out just the foresail and were
making about 5 kts. We passed a Hunter 36 with the same sail
configuration and only boats flying spinnakers passed us. PassatII seems to do well in these conditions.

Here Sail boats outnumber Power boats on the water by about 15 to 1
(Power boats are fewer and seem to stay on the dock). In Canada I'd say
the sail to power boat ratio on the water is close to 1 to 1 and in the
US (particularly Florida) there are 2 to 3
Power boats on the water for for every sail boat. This may be due to
fuel prices, but I think it is also a cultural thing. I am sure there
is a Sociologist (or even Psychologist) that could make a life's work
out of this, given adequate government funding.

The British actually sail their boats. We see them sailing in
conditions that would have Americans and Canadians turning on the "Iron
Jenny". Again, economics or culture???

Lastly, the boats here are, on average smaller. PassatII has moved from the "runt" of the litter to slightly above average in length and definitely bigger than average in weight.

Made it safely to the marina before the wind and rain arrived.

Will be tied to the dock for the next 3 days as we visit the sites with
son James and daughter (in law) Maria. We are very much looking forward
to seeing them.

SVPassatII - Postcard from Eastbourne, UK

We had a great time in Portsmouth and Brighton and arrived here in Eastboure last night.

Portsmouth has the greatest naval museums I have ever seen. We took in
Victory (Nelson's ship), Mary Rose (King Henry VIII warship) Warrior
(the first iron hulled sailing battleship, with steam auxiliary power),
the first British sub and a WWII sub and more.

In Brighton I discovered that you can get propane in England (but not
Europe). It is called "Calor Gas". You rent the bottle and exchange
your empty one for full ones at suppliers throughout the UK. The
fittings look the same as the NA fittings, but are not. So we spent
most of one day tracking down a source for an adaptor. Mission
accomplished. We can now keep supplied with propane while in the UK.
We also got the fittings to convert to "Camping Gaz" which is available
in most of Europe. Camping Gaz is not good in cold weather as it does
not vaporize in low temperatures. We decided to stick with propane for
now as we are wintering in the UK.

Our trip from Brighton to Eastboure yesterday was the wettest and coolest so far. In fact it got down to 12 C last night.

The predicted winds for this passage were not to exceed 30 kts. Yesterday we experience gusts in the low 40s. The seas were choppy and the rumb line was straight downwind. Can you say "Mal de Mer". We were both so doped up on anti-sea sick medication we were zombies. Sigh! On the plus side we were going up to 9 kts down the back of the swells, with only the triple reefed main drawing wind.

Did I mention that it was totally overcast, rainy and cold. We were in long underwear and full wet gear. Shades of Pacific NW sailing in Spring.

Tonight the winds and seas have settled down and conditions are pleasant, but still overcast, with intermittent showers.

Speaking of Gods laughing. During the hight of the weather I decided it would be nice to have a Lemon Tea, with honey. Going downwind the boat was not heeled over, but was bucking like a wild pony. I was wedged into the Galley in a classic three point stance; feet placed wide apart and braced against bulkheads, bum wedged between stairs and counter leaving my hands free. By some miracle I managed to boil the water, make the tea and stir in the honey without spilling a drop! It was too hot to drink. Never mind I thought, I will wait until it cools. I set the wide bottom, tight lidded cup on the counter, on an anti-skid pad, next to the bulkhead, braced fore and aft by anti-skid cutting boards. This left only the interior nominally "uphill" side open. I then sat opposite, at the nav station, to play Solitaire on my tab.

Having lost several games I decided it was time to taste my tea. At that very moment a rouge wave hit. The Nominally "uphill" side became the decidedly "downhill" side. The cup took flight, hitting the companionway way ladder, loosing its lid and distributing honey laden tea across my drying wet gear and the entire galley sole. After the clean up I decided it was not my day to have tea. If I really needed a taste I need only chew on my wet gear.

On the plus side, I won my next two games of Solitaire.

All is well with us and we hope with you.

Wishing you fair winds and calm seas.

Barrie

At 6/10/2014 3:50 AM (utc) our position was 41°13.37'N 025°55.08'W

SV Passat II - Postcard En-route Horta, Azores to Falmouth, UK

It is a cool, damp and foggy night. The world outside the cabin is shades of grey. Dark grey seas, lighter grey fog, back lit by the 86 % moon.

Passat drifts along, in light winds, on a gentle swell. The only sounds are the creaking of the rigging and gentle snores of the off watch crew (aka Sandra).

We talk to people all over and download weather faxes twice a day on the SSB radio. We check in with our "Buddy Boat" SV "Voila" (out of Montreal) to share position reports and weather. They are currently about 36 miles to the North. At about 01:00 I check into the Maritime Mobile Service Net, then after 02:00 talk to the net controllers of the Pacific Seafarers Net. Often I am talking to HAMs in Florida, California and Hawaii. I have even heard boats checking in as far away as Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific. Once, while in the Caribbean, I spoke to a net controller in New Zealand. Not bad for a 150 Watt radio.

My hot chocolate is ready so will sign off for now.

All is well with us and we hope with you.

Wishing you all fair winds and calm seas.

Barrie

At 11/06/2014 02:49 (utc) our position was 42°19.75'N 023°52.47'W

SV Passat II - Postcard from the North Atlantic

Funny what one thinks about at 2 am on the "Dog Watch".

Was it Oscar Wilde who said something like "Going to sea is like going to prison, adding the possibility of drowning"?

He was no doubt talking of Ocean Liners. What would he think of a 34 ft sailboat?

As a bachelor I lived in a one bedroom apartment of about 700 sq ft. Our homes have all been over 1200 sq ft. On Passat II the two of us live in about 170 sq ft. Sometimes we have one or two guests aboard.

At sea, in the North Atlantic, going out for a walk involves; putting on wet gear, boots and hat; adding a "personal floatation devise" (with built in harness); snapping onto a lifeline; walking about 20 ft each way from the Cockpit to the Bow on a wet deck; heeled over 5 to 15 degrees. You burn more calories getting dressed to go out.

Prisoners, in Canada at least, would sue, claiming cruel and unusual punishment.

I spend virtually no time thinking about the "drowning" risk. It is a risk that is there, much like the drive to work or crossing the street. You manage it in much the same way. Drive safely, look both ways before crossing the road, etc. On the boat it includes; wear the PFD, snap onto a lifeline, have all the safety and communication tools available, etc.

Is the cruising life worth the prison like confinement and risk of drowning?

The question is best asked on a sunny day in the Caribbean, not on a foggy night in the North Atlantic.

All is well with us and we hope with you.

Wishing you fair winds and calm seas.

Barrie

At 14/06/2014 03:24 (utc) our position was 45°32.32'N 016°57.89'W

SV Passat II - Postcard from the North Atlantic

A beach bar waiter at the El Cid Resort and Marina told me he could always identify the "Boaters" as they had no tan lines on their feet. "Tourists" were more inclined to ware sandals, resulting in tan lines. (I got the distinct impression he was more interested in other tan lines on the younger female patrons, but made no effort to confirm this with him.)

It is true that many (most?) of us boaters go barefoot on our boats in the tropics. After toughening the soles and learning the location of all the deck fittings (OUCH!) it is the most sure footed way to go. Besides deck shoes and boots are way too hot.

I have Scottish and Irish in my bloodline's, resulting in a low tolerance to sun. I like to say "I have two colors, White and Red; and in between I am very A-Peal-ing". To achieve any level of tan is hard work. Sandra, on the other hand, tans in a rain storm.

On really hot days, at sea or in isolated anchorages, I will wear only an old pair of sweat shorts. These were made by one of my sons (Mike or James) in a Home Economics class in about grade 7. They (the boys) are now in their 30s so the shorts are comfortably broken in. They (the shorts) are in still in great shape, except for the elastic in the waste, which is shot, leading to some interesting (scary?) moments, from time to time. Other then these scary moments I make no effort to eliminate tan lines.

Some boaters do "the full Monty (sp?)" to, I assume, eliminate tan lines. I recall one anchorage in Costa Rica we were spending Xmas in. Two Swedish boats joined us in the anchorage. The crews were nude. There comes a certain age when it is no longer attractive. They were beyond this "best before date".

That being said; I have after 7 years in the sub-tropics achieved a certain level of tan, complete with "age appropriate" tan lines.

The North Atlantic provides few (read no) opportunities to maintain, let alone improve ones tan. Our passage log provides a place to enter cloud cover. It reads 100% or fog for all but a few (make that rare) entries. Yesterday proved an exception for a few precious hours. Sandra now has a picture of me sun bathing in the North Atlantic. The fact that I am wearing a minimum of three layers of clothes may restrict the actual tanning benefit, other than the 3 or 4 square inches of unbearded face that remains exposed.

All were known to us before we left, other than the excessive rafting in busy ports. The "Schengen" Agreement is worthy of a separate Postcard (rant), which I may do at another time.

It is hard to imagine poor little Passat II put against a fixed concrete dock, with a 3 ft tide range, swell serge and 3 larger boats rafted to it. BUT this is exactly what happened in our first stop, Horta, Azores. The constant movement and excessive pressure causes the concrete to embed particles of grit in the fenders, resulting in their becoming "sandpaper" against the hull. That is if the fenders do not pop first. Not to mention the mud tracked across your boat by some less thoughtful boaters. Of all the North American boats in the harbor we were the most prepared. In Mexico I bought a 2 X 10 board, to which I bonded three plastic cutting boards as ware surfaces. This is hung by ropes from the lifelines between the concrete and the fenders. The board prevents the grit from getting on the fenders. I use two 10" regular fenders with a 4" flat fender between them. The flat fender prevents the regular fenders from being squashed too the point of popping. So far it has worked.

I thought that I would be able to by a transformer, at a reasonable price, to address the electrical issue. Ha! For about $1,000 CDN, plus installation, you can get a transformer to convert from 230V to 115V, but it will not change the Hz from 50 to 60. Many battery chargers and appliances will not work with 50 Hz. Those that do are not as efficient. The handout supplied by MAY recommended that you check your battery charger to see if it accepted 50 Hz. Glory be!!! My battery charger not only accepts 50 Hz, it accepts 230V. All I needed to do was flip a switch and change a fuse. How to provide a 230V connection to the charger? I consulted (over an adult beverage) a Canadian boater, who happened to be an electrician. It turns out my wiring can handle it. All I needed to do was shut off the breakers to the plugs to prevent damage if someone plugged in a 115V appliance and get a European 230V plug for my extension cord. For about $8 CDN I got the plug and fuse and sacrificed my 15 amp to 30 amp Pig Tail to convert to European power. Now we can keep the batteries charged, then use our 150 Watt 12 v dc converter to produce 115 V ac for our electronics (computer, etc). The only challenge remaining will be to provide wiring for a 230V heater, but that is a problem for another day.

Butane "Gaz" vs propane. Propane appliances will work with butane, loosing some efficiency. I had heard that you could buy an adaptor so that the North American propane bottles could be filled with Butane. They were not available in Horta. However, they must exist as the supplier of Gaz in Horta can fill propane tanks. Hopefully this is common. If not we will have to find an adaptor or convert to Gaz. Sigh!

We bade a fond farewell to Bermuda, leaving the Customs dock in St Georges at 08:15 local time.

Bermuda is a beautiful, historic paradise and we were sad to go, but will not miss the outrageous cost of living. The only really irritating thing we found was the practice of adding 17% to restaurant bills for "service" that was often bad or indifferent.

Did get to update the blog, up to our arrival in Bermuda, but you will have to wait for the Bermuda pictures until we get internet again.

No wind at the start, so we motor sailed for the first 10 hours, then 10-15 kts from the NE allowing us to make 5 kts almost on our rheum line.

A small pod of whales passed south of us as we left, but too far for pictures. Other than that no excitement.

All is well with us and we hope the same for you.

Wishing you fair winds and calm seas.

Barrie & Sandra
-----

At 5/18/2014 5:25 AM (utc) our position was 32°38.81'N 062°59.08'W

Our tow generateor, hard at work.

﻿
﻿﻿﻿

Our hardest working crew member "Cap".

﻿﻿﻿
SV Passat II - Postcard en-route to Azores

Real men pee standing up! There is something about this that defines our maleness. Also, as any Boy Scout knows, this is very useful for putting out campfires when there is a lack of water available. Not that Smoky the Bear has ever mentioned it in his TV ads.

As a "real Man" I resist sitting to pee with a passion.

Then came boating.

At sea the challenges to peeing while standing are many and the variables infinite. Firstly, the toilet is usually smaller. Secondly, in a sail boat you are usually healed over between 5 to 20 degrees. Third, you have the action of the underlying swells. Fourth, there is the wave action on top of the swells. Fifth, you have wind gusts. Sixth, there is the increased impact of the dreaded double (or Multi) stream (men need no explication; women ask your man).

If you imagine standing in your bathroom, with the floor inclined 15 degrees, during an earthquake, trying to pee into a toilet bowl 1/2 the household size you will get the idea.

I approached this challenge with the energy of a true zealot. Calling on my mountain climbing training I devoted no less then 3 of my 4 limbs to stabilizing my position. This proved insufficient, with messy results. After years of trial and error I was confident that I had developed the perfect stance. For the first time ever I am prepared to share it.

First, plant one foot on the sole (floor), jamming it against a cabinet, bulkhead or door frame. Second, place the other foot, at least shoulder width from the first, against another cabinet, bulkhead, door frame, etc. Third, grab a secure fixed object with one hand. Fourth, jam the "guiding hand" shoulder against a bulkhead or door frame. Fifth, lean forward so that you are centered over the bowl. Sixth, place your head against a bulkhead. Seventh, aim. Eighth, release.

This process is guaranteed to reduce splatter to a acceptable level; in up to 15 degrees of heel, in less then 30 knots of wind, except in the case of a double/multi stream. Then all bets are off.

Or you can do as I do now, SIT.

Wishing you fair winds, calm seas and dry Head Floor.

Barrie
----

At 5/23/2014 7:22 AM (utc) our position was 33°55.29'N 052°43.41'W ﻿

Beast on board "flying fish".

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

Beast on board "squid".

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

SV Passat - Postcard En-route to the Azores

We passed the mid-point of our passage today and the longest time we have been at sea. To celebrate we had a "Dark and Stormy" with diner.

To close the "Potty Postcard":

- The answer the question "Who cleans up your messes?". I do (even when seasick).
- Sandra's comment was "Sitting is no picnic either!".

A friend(I forget which one) said that "Marriage while living on a boat should be measured in ""Dog Years"". Thus every year on the boat is the equivalent of seven on land.

Our first boat "Moomshadow" was 26 feet on deck and 7 feet 2 inches wide. To see if we were suited to the cruising life Sandra and I made our millennium project a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. This was 32 days, the vast majority of which was spent on passages and in isolated anchorages.

Sometimes we are known as the "Bickersons" and the betting at our Yacht Club was in favor of only one of us returning. The jury was out on which one, but definitely only one would return.

Then we bought Passat II this "massive" 34 foot boat with a 12 ft beam. What to do with all that space??? Ya right.

What makes it work for us?

The psychologists will have all kinds of names for it and no doubt have studied it to death. We even passed on attending our Bluewater Cruising Association training session on the subject. Why? Because we know the answer.

Its magic.

Wishing you fair winds and calm seas.

Barrie

PS
We morn the passing of our friend Lesley's former boat SV "Sea Quin IV". Lost to lightning (with no human losses reported). Many memories shared of races won and lost, anchorages shared and wine ingested. Fair well old friend. B & S
-----

At 5/26/2014 5:23 AM (utc) our position was 34°37.52'N 046°03.13'W

Our first siting of the Azores as the sun rises.

SV Passat II - Postcard En-route to the Azores

Watt the H-E-double hockey sticks!!!

A few days ago our towing generator "walked the plank". If fact it took the plank with it.

I like to think it was a giant fish that thought the shinny impeller was eatable, rather than a shoddy attachment.

The attachment was a new addition for this trip. Previously it was fixed to the teak toe rail with 4 big screws. This location was no longer available as it conflicted with the solar panels we installed in 2009. I did not trust the screws so always had a lanyard attaching the generator to a stanchion as back up. The new arrangement had 4 through bolts onto a new teak grating, securely attached to the boomkin, hence no lanyard. The teak grating gave way, giving up the portion that held the generator. A nice clean break.

Regardless, the generator is now doing a "Jonah" in the belly of a giant fish or resting at the bottom of the North Atlantic in 5000 meters of H2O.

All sail boaters are "Watt Watchers". Any Skipper can tell you the draw of everything electrical on his boat, the capacity of his batteries and the output of all his/her electrical generators. For producing electricity, under sail, we have two 85 Watt solar panels and had the towing generator. In the Caribbean the solar panels were enough to meet our needs. In the North Atlantic, not so much.

Refrigeration is our top draw on power, followed by the computer/SSB Radio/Modem used to send and receive email. With the loss on the towing generator we have had to ration our power outlay. Until today that is.

Today our wind dropped to below 10 kts and our speed to below 4 kts. We did the math. If we continued to sail we would arrive at Horta, Azores just after dark Sunday. Unless we wanted to risk a nighttime landfall we would have to pick up the pace to over 5 kts. At Noon we started the iron Jenny. Now we have Watts to burn.